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Indian Opposition Comes Out Against Indo-American Nuclear Deal

Jit Mukherjii - 8/9/2007

There was a time when domestic objections to the India-US nuclear deal were on specific grounds. It was generally agreed that the deal, which lifted the technology ban on India and ended its status as a nuclear untouchables was a good one in the form agreed by the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and US President George Bush in July 2005.

The text of the agreement – which operationalises the deal – reveals that the principal Indian concerns has been met. India can reprocess
spent fuel. Even in the event of an Indian nuclear test, it’s not automatically curtains for civil nuclear cooperation. Instead, there will be bilateral consultations about the circumstances that led to the testing, whether it was a result of similar actions by other states that endangered Indian security. The
agreement also offers guarantees of uninterrupted fuel supplies to India, going to the extent of committing the US to help set up a strategic reserve of nuclear
fuel for the entire lifetime of Indian reactors. Most Indian nuclear scientists who had initially opposed the deal now think it is a good one.

But despite Indian reservations having been met, the opposition Marxists and BJP have still not been assuaged and they are still opposing the deal. BJP’s response may be that of plain jealousy. It initiated the engagement with the US, which the present UPA government took up. But the Left would be shifting the goalposts itself if it continues to oppose the deal even after its objections has been met. There are hurdles still ahead in implementation of the deal. It has to be endorsed by the US Congress, International Atomic Energy Agency and Nuclear Suppliers Group. India will have to play a superb diplomatic game to overcome those hurdles.

Breaking out of nuclear apartheid was something that India has wanted and Washington acceded to in the interests of having good relation with a multi ethnic democracy making rapid economic progress. But US anti-proliferation laws came in the way. The nuclear deal is a way of circumventing them. It is ritual with the Left of opposing the Government, while continuing to support it from outside. Apparently, it does not prevent them from making common clause with the BJP, which it otherwise claims to detest. Or is the CPM toeing the line of Chinese communists, who are already very much upset with the deal.